News From BELGIUM

The Arabian Horse Racing Club of Belgium

For the fifth consecutive year the U.A.E. Equestrian and Racing Federation, on behalf of H.H. Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al NAHYAN, President of the United Arab Emirates, will support the races for Arab horses in Belgium.

Worldwide, a variety of races have been staged during the prestigious annual President of the U.A.E. International Race-Days. His Excellency Dr. Sheikh Sultan Bin Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan and the board of directors of the UAE Equestrian & Racing Federation have succeeded in establishing the ABU DHABI Championship for the 3-year-olds, and the PRESIDENT OF THE U.A.E. Challenge Derby for the 4-year-olds, as the premier races for Arabian horses. The 2003 Challenge Series of 5 races take place in the Curragh Ir, Hamburg De, Deauville Fr, Ostend B, and Newmarket GB. Races are also planned in Canada and the USA in 2003. In Belgium these prestigious race-days sponsored by the Emirates were very successful with international participation from more than 10 countries over the years. Both races have gained the status of Group-III races with the IFAHR (International Federation of Arab Horse Racing Organisations), two years ago and will be run this year with the very attractive purses of 13.500 Euro and 15.000 Euro respectively. This highlight of the Belgian racing season will take place on the 16th of August 2003 at the Wellington Racetrack in Ostend, during a BELGALOP-meeting to start at 2 p.m. The quality of Arab racing in Belgium has seen great progress over the last years, mainly thanks to the generous support from His Excellency Dr. Sheikh Sultan Bin Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The successes of the Belgian horses in several legs of the ABU DHABI Championship last year, nml. the victories in the Copenhagen and Duindigt-Nl leg of the Challenge by the Belgian-bred horse Ircalan D.A. B (Djelbon F x Alissah B) for breeder/owner/trainer Johan Verstrepen and the second place of one of the Huub Otermans horses in each of the same occasions, were an encouraging start. This year already the Belgian-trained Salazar Kossack Nl of owner / trainer Huub Otermans wins the President of the UAE Challenge Derby for 4 y-olds in Hamburg (Group I), where he is seconded by another Belgian Arab horse: Au Vol del Sol F of Dirk Cavens (trained by L.Braem)! In the Abu Dhabi Championship of Hamburg, won by a horse trained by Sandrine Tarrou F (one of most assiduous participants to Belgian races!), another Otermans-horse takes the third place: Bonjour El Samawi Ge. A couple of days later followed a very impressive third place in the Newmarket-leg of the Challenge Derby (Group I and, with 80.000 €, the richest race in Europe for Arab horses, for Ircalan D.A. B (confirming the potential he announced as a 3-year old), and on the 12th of July, Au Vol del Sol F placed third in the big ( 55.000 €) International race in Grossetto (Italy), proving again that Belgian Arab racing is of a high international standard. For sure these valuable Belgian racers will be at the start on the 16th of August, and it will be possible for all to come and encourage our national favourites in Ostend during these prestigious races for Arab horses!!! One difference between the desert-horse and the Thoroughbred that has to be kept in mind: the Thoroughbred has been selected for several centuries for racing over short distances and is by now a true “Sprinter“ (anaerobe efforts), while the Arab horse still has kept his physiology of the “Stayer” he was in the desert (higher fraction of “slow” fibres in the composition of his muscles). This is the reason why the length of the races for the “Drinkers of the Wind” should be far longer than those over which the Thoroughbred is at his best. Therefore a long race (3.700 m) is included in the program of the 16th of August, to honour this characteristic of the true Arab. This race will also be the first international Handicap-race for Arab horses: the « XXX International Stayer’s Handicap ». This race-day needs no recommendation with the normal race-goers, because they already experienced the quality of the “Emirates-days”, but will be an exceptional occasion for tourists and newcomers to admire the “Drinker of the Wind” in full action…. We hope to meet you on August the 16th, from 2 p.m. onwards at the Wellington-racetrack of Ostend. Nelly Philippot, President: Arabian Horse Racing Club of Belgium, Tel./fax: +32 / 61 61 14 21 e-mail : moirmonay@swing.be

- Nelly Philippot , Posted on 16 August 2003